TRAVEL agencies in Asia will soon be able to avail of a new app that allows smartphone users to manage their own self-touring itineraries from start to finish.
Soft launched last week at Singapore’s NATAS travel fair, the Tourizz MobileTouring App utilises GPS technology to function as a navigational device, and provides users with location tour narrations, as well as meal and hotel vouchers, dining suggestions and notifications for pre-booked events.
Kenneth Goh, CEO of San Francisco-based Tourism Media, and his father, Kenny Goh, former managing director of the now-defunct Ken-Air Tours, are the brains behind this new DIY touring concept.
The app is the centrepiece of all-in-one packages offered under Tourism Media’s Tourizz brand of travel products, which include accommodation with daily breakfast, sightseeing tours, rental car/rail passes, navigational systems and a suite of essential mobile travel apps.
While initially covering only destinations in Western Europe, packages to the US, Japan and Australia are on the cards.
The younger Goh explained that Tourizz’s main source of revenue are commissions from B2B sales and B2C transactions. He revealed that he was currently in discussions with other travel consultants to develop customised, co-branded tours, and that he was also keen to explore partnerships with airlines.
Tourizz and its app are due to officially launch in April 2013, and plans are to roll out in Australia, the US, Hong Kong and Indonesia once the product has been established in Singapore.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Goh said: “There’s been a gap in the market for a product that appeals to individuals who wish to travel independently, but also want a hassle-free (experience) in putting trips together.”
“The app bridges this gap. Other companies do offer self-touring apps, but few outside the US, as far as I know, package hotels, city tours and car rentals alongside such apps.”
